Secured attachment management

• US 10,542,045 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2017
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AirWatch LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vas, Sachin, Vasavan, Sushilvas, Panchapakesan, Ramani, Narayanaswamy, Pavithra
• Primary Examiner(s): Naghdali, Khalil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wade, Shaqueal D
• Application Number:
  US15/438,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/457 containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

The secure management of attachments is described. In one example, a message is received by a device management computing environment from a client computing device. The message can include an addressee list, a resource locator to a file, and a schedule associated with an event, for example. The message is intended for distribution to a number of other client devices along with the file according to the addressee list. However, the file is not directly attached to the message. Instead, the distribution of and access to the file is managed separately and securely by the device management computing environment. The device management computing environment can cause the file to be accessible through the client devices using the resource locator based on the schedule associated with the event. Further, after the event, the device management computing environment can cause the file to be inaccessible and/or removed from the client devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device in a managed computing device environment, a calendar message for distribution, the calendar message including an addressee list, a resource locator associated with a file in the managed computing device environment, and a schedule associated with the calendar message;

generating, by the at least one computing device, a file schedule access policy for access to the file in the managed computing device environment based on the schedule associated with the calendar message;

distributing, by the at least one computing device, the calendar message to at least one client device in the managed computing device environment based on the addressee list; and

causing, by the at least one computing device, the file to be accessible to the at least one client device using the resource locator according to the file schedule access policy, the file being accessible to the at least one client device at a location in storage defined in the managed computing device environment by the resource locator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the resource locator uniquely identifies the file in the managed computing device environment; and

causing the file to be accessible comprises notifying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one client device to check in with the at least one computing device to retrieve a copy of the file.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein causing the file to be accessible to the at least one client device comprises updating access permissions associated with the file based on the addressee list and the file schedule access policy.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the calendar message further includes an accessibility timeframe associated with the file; and

generating the file schedule access policy comprises generating the file schedule access policy based on the schedule associated with the calendar message and the accessibility timeframe.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the accessibility timeframe extends in time beyond the schedule associated with the calendar message.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing, by the at least one computing device, the file to be inaccessible on the at least one client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein causing the file to be inaccessible comprises notifying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one client device to delete the file from memory of the client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising prompting, by the at least one computing device, display of an access schedule notification associated with the file on a display of the at least one client device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying program code executable in at least one computing device that, when executed by the at least one computing device, directs the at least one computing device to at least:

receive a message for distribution in a managed computing device environment, the message including an addressee list, a resource locator associated with a file in the managed computing device environment, and a schedule associated with the message;

generate a file schedule access policy for access to the file in the managed computing device environment based on the schedule associated with the message;

distribute the message to at least one client device in the managed computing device environment based on the addressee list; and

cause the file to be accessible to the at least one client device using the resource locator according to the file schedule access policy, the file being accessible to the at least one client device at a location in storage defined in the managed computing device environment by the resource locator.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein:

the resource locator uniquely identifies the file in the managed computing device environment; and

to cause the file to be accessible, the at least one computing device is further configured to notify the at least one client device to check in with the at least one computing device to retrieve a copy of the file.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein, to cause the file to be accessible, the at least one computing device is further configured to update access permissions associated with the file based on the addressee list and the file schedule access policy.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein:

the message further includes an accessibility timeframe associated with the file; and

the at least one computing device is further configured to generate the file schedule access policy based on the schedule associated with the message and the accessibility timeframe.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to cause the file to be inaccessible on the at least one client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to notify the at least one client device to delete the file from memory of the client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to prompt an access schedule notification associated with the file on the at least one client device.

16. A system, comprising:

a memory device configured to store computer-readable instructions thereon; and

at least one computing device configured, through execution of the computer-readable instructions, to;

receive a message for distribution in a managed computing device environment, the message including an addressee list, a resource locator associated with a file in the managed computing device environment, and a schedule associated with the message;

generate a file schedule access policy for access to the file in the managed computing device environment based on the schedule associated with the message;

distribute the message to at least one client device in the managed computing device environment based on the addressee list; and

cause the file to be accessible to the at least one client device using the resource locator according to the file schedule access policy, the file being accessible to the at least one client device at a location in storage defined in the managed computing device environment by the resource locator.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein, to cause the file to be accessible, the at least one computing device is further configured to notify the at least one client device to check in with the at least one computing device to retrieve a copy of the file.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein, to cause the file to be accessible, the at least one computing device is further configured to update access permissions associated with the file based on the addressee list and the file schedule access policy.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to cause the file to be inaccessible on the at least one client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to notify the at least one client device to delete the file from memory of the client device after a time period according to the file schedule access policy.